[87], Having evaded Edward's fleet, which had been sent to intercept them,[88] Isabella and Mortimer landed at Orwell on the east coast of England on 24 September with a small force; estimates of Isabella's army vary from between 300 and around 2,000 soldiers, with 1,500 being a popular middle figure. Isabella arrived in England at the age of 12[2] during a period of growing conflict between the king and the powerful baronial factions. ", This page was last edited on 3 April 2023, at 01:29. Since her brother Charles was born on 18 June 1294, and she had to reach the canonical age of 12 before her marriage in January 1308, the evidence suggests that she was born between April 1295 and January 1296. Isabella and Edward had travelled north together at the start of the autumn campaign; before the disastrous Battle of Old Byland in Yorkshire, Edward had ridden south, apparently to raise more men, sending Isabella east to Tynemouth Priory. 7 things you (probably) didnt know about the houses of Lancaster and York, A royal ghost tour: 5 haunted sites around Britain, 7 medieval kings of England you should know about, Good drama, bad history: 11 historically inaccurate films you need to watch. Unfortunately for Isabella, she was still estranged from Lancaster's rival faction, giving her little room to manoeuvre. Some months later, Edward made a fatal error. Isabella of France married King Edward II of England in Boulogne, northern France, on 25 January 1308 when she was 12 and he was 23. [152] She remained, however, a gregarious member of the court, receiving constant visitors; amongst them appear to have been her friend Marie de St Pol, Countess of Pembroke, and her cousin Henry of Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster. Isabella of France was of high royal birth, and her son the king perforce treated her with respect and consideration; he claimed the throne of France through his mother, so could hardly imprison her. The idea that her son locked her up in Castle Rising in Norfolk and that she went mad is merely a (much later) fabrication with no basis whatsoever in fact. [82] They also shared a common enemythe regime of Edward II and the Despensers. [21] Furthermore, there is the question of Edward's sexuality in a period when homosexuality of any sort was considered a serious crime, but there is no direct evidence of his sexual orientation. Gaveston eventually returned from Ireland, and by 130911, the three seemed to be co-existing together relatively comfortably. Roger Mortimer, however, was not: the often-repeated tale that Isabella chose to lie for eternity next to her long-dead but never forgotten lover is a romantic myth. Unlike Mortimer, Isabella survived the transition of power, remaining a wealthy and influential member of the English court, albeit never returning directly to active politics. Up in the keep, Isabella, Mortimer and other council members were discussing how to arrest Montagu, when Montagu and his men appeared. Edward was handsome, but highly unconventional, possibly forming close romantic attachments first to Piers Gaveston and then to Hugh Despenser the Younger. Corrections? Isabella could not tolerate Hugh Despenser, and by 1325, her marriage to Edward was at a breaking point. 244264; Mortimer, 2006, appendix 2. [60] Worse still, later in the year Isabella was caught up in the failure of another of Edward's campaigns in Scotland, in a way that permanently poisoned her relationship with both Edward and the Despensers. Queen Isabella, now 16 or 17, was already pregnant with her first child when her husbands beloved Piers Gaveston was killed, and her son was born at Windsor Castle on Monday 13 November 1312. For more than a quarter of a century Isabella lived an entirely conventional life as a dowager queen, travelling between her estates, entertaining many royal and noble guests, listening to minstrels and spending vast sums of money on clothes and jewels. [47] In 1321, Lancaster's alliance moved against the Despensers, sending troops into London and demanding their exile. [28][29] Isabella had begun to build up her own supporters at court, principally the Beaumont family, itself opposed to the Lancastrians. Originating, like her, in France, the senior member of the Beaumont family, Isabella de Beaumont, had been a close confidant of Edward's mother Eleanor of Castile, supported by her brother Henry de Beaumont. [63] For his part, Edward blamed Lewis de Beaumont, the Bishop of Durham and an ally of Isabella, for the fiasco.[63]. Later in the year, however, Isabella and Edward held a large dinner in London to celebrate their return and Isabella apparently noticed that the purses she had given to her sisters-in-law were now being carried by two Norman knights, Gautier and Philippe d'Aunay. Joan of Burgundy was imprisoned for a year, although she was later acquitted. [88] Thomas, Earl of Norfolk, joined Isabella's forces and Henry of Lancaster the brother of the late Thomas, and Isabella's uncle also announced he was joining Isabella's faction, marching south to join her. The big debate: was Edward II really murdered? Their rule effected the permanent union of . Hugh Despenser the Younger was sentenced to be brutally executed on 24 November, and a huge crowd gathered in anticipation at seeing him die. [108] Ian Mortimer, focusing more on contemporary documents from 1327 itself, argues that Roger de Mortimer engineered a fake "escape" for Edward from Berkeley Castle; after this Edward was kept in Ireland, believing he was really evading Mortimer, before finally finding himself free, but politically unwelcome, after the fall of Isabella and Mortimer. Joined there by her son, the future Edward III, she announced her refusal to return to England until the Despensers were removed from court. Isabella's family in France campaigned for her return, but Henry IV would not allow it for several years. In the north, however, the situation was becoming worse. An eyewitness to the royal couples extended visit to Isabellas homeland from May to July 1313 stated that Edward loved Isabella, and that the reason for his arriving late for a meeting with Isabellas father Philip IV was because the royal couple had overslept after their night-time dalliances. She was the ideal candidate, not only because she was the French king's sister but because she had served as an ambassador to France on several previous occasions. Indeed, John Deydras, a royal pretender, appeared in Oxford, claiming to have been switched with Edward at birth, and to be the real king of England himself. The daughter of Philip IV the Fair of France, Isabella was married to Edward on January 25, 1308, at Boulogne. Gaveston was assassinated in June 1312 by a group of English barons sick of his excessive influence over the king. The queen's gracious, dignified and tactful manner endeared her to her subjects and helped make her an exceptionally capable ruler. Isabella and Roger ruled in Edward's name until 1330, when he executed Mortimer and banished his mother. Mortimer, 2004, pp. Some condemned Edward for loving them "beyond measure" and "uniquely", others explicitly referring to an "illicit and sinful union". Edward attempted to quash the Scots in a fresh campaign in 1314, resulting in the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn. Isabella arrived in England for the first time on 7 February 1308. [20] He rejected most of the traditional pursuits of a king for the periodjousting, hunting and warfareand instead enjoyed music, poetry and many rural crafts. Bolsters the national morale and all that. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Isabella-of-France, Ancient Origins - The Wild Life of English Queen Isabella, She-Wolf of France aka the Rebel Queen Who Killed the King of England, English Monarchs - Biography of Isabella of France. [120] The first of these was the situation in Scotland, where Edward II's unsuccessful policies had left an unfinished, tremendously expensive war. By March of 1326, the English had heard that Isabella had taken a lover, Roger Mortimer. Three more children were born to the royal couple. [88], By the 27th, word of the invasion had reached the King and the Despensers in London. [11] As was customary for the period, all of Philip's children were married young for political benefit. [110], Isabella and Mortimer ruled together for four years, with Isabella's period as regent marked by the acquisition of huge sums of money and land. [102] Once the core of the Despenser regime had been executed, Isabella and Mortimer began to show restraint. In all of these versions, it is argued that it suited Isabella and Mortimer to publicly claim that Edward was dead, even if they were aware of the truth. [106] The council concluded that Edward would be legally deposed and placed under house arrest for the rest of his life. [42] Suspicions fell on Lancaster, and one of Edward's knights, Edmund Darel, was arrested on charges of having betrayed her location, but the charges were essentially unproven. Various historians, with different levels of confidence, have also suggested that in late 1329 Isabella became pregnant. [141] Fighting broke out on the stairs and Mortimer was overwhelmed in his chamber. Edward was still relying upon his French in-lawsIsabella's uncle Louis, for example, had been sent from Paris to assist himbut Hugh Despenser the Elder now formed part of the inner circle, marking the beginning of the Despensers' increased prominence at Edward's court. Since the early 1300s, Edward II had been infatuated with a young nobleman of Barn in southern France called Piers Gaveston, whom he made Earl of Cornwall and married to his royal niece Margaret de Clare in 1307. One of the most notorious women in English history, Isabella of France led an invasion of England that ultimately resulted in the deposition of her king and husband, Edward II, in January 1327 - the first ever abdication of a king in England. [89] After a short period of confusion during which they attempted to work out where they had actually landed, Isabella moved quickly inland, dressed in her widow's clothes. The three brothers were the last kings of the Capetian dynasty that had ruled France since 987. She never met her husbands father Edward I (or Longshanks), who had died on 7 July 1307, and she certainly never met William Wallace (as depicted in Braveheart), who had been executed on 23 August 1305. [158] Additionally, Wallace is incorrectly suggested to be the father of her son, Edward III, despite Wallace's death being many years before Edward's birth. [107] Isabella's position was still precarious, as the legal basis for deposing Edward was doubtful and many lawyers of the day maintained that Edward II was still the rightful king, regardless of the declaration of the Parliament. The dowager queen was buried with the clothes she had worn at her wedding to Edward II 50 years previously and, according to a rather later tradition, with his heart on her breast. Isabella deposed Edward, becoming regent on behalf of her young son, Edward III. In 1313, Isabella travelled to Paris with Edward to garner further French support, which resulted in the Tour de Nesle affair. House. By 1327 Lancaster was irritated by Mortimer's behaviour and Isabella responded by beginning to sideline him from her government. [37] The consequence of this was the Tour de Nesle Affair in Paris, which led to legal action against all three of Isabella's sisters-in-law; Blanche and Margaret of Burgundy were imprisoned for life for adultery. [citation needed], According to legend, Isabella and Mortimer famously plotted to murder Edward in such a way as not to draw blame on themselves, sending a famous order (in Latin: Eduardum occidere nolite timere bonum est) which, depending on where the comma was inserted, could mean either "Do not be afraid to kill Edward; it is good" or "Do not kill Edward; it is good to fear". [111], Isabella's regency lasted only four years, before the fragile political alliance that had brought her and Mortimer to power disintegrated. [99] With Bristol secure, Isabella moved her base of operations up to the border town of Hereford, from where she ordered Henry of Lancaster to locate and arrest her husband. NHS England has warned that the number of rescheduled appointments due to strike action is set to hit half a million next week. Rapidly retreating south with the Despensers, Edward failed to grasp the situation, with the result that Isabella found herself and her household cut off from the south by the Scottish army, with the coastline patrolled by Flemish naval forces allied to the Scots. Charles sent a message through Pope John XXII to Edward, suggesting that he was willing to reverse the forfeiture of the lands if Edward ceded the Agenais and paid homage for the rest of the lands:[73] the Pope proposed Isabella as an ambassador. [74] Prince Edward arrived in France, and gave homage in September. [105] The situation remained tense, however; Isabella was clearly concerned about Edward's supporters staging a counter-coup, and in November she seized the Tower of London, appointed one of her supporters as mayor and convened a council of nobles and churchmen in Wallingford to discuss the fate of Edward. [146] Isabella remained extremely wealthy; despite being required to surrender most of her lands after losing power, in 1331 she was reassigned a yearly income of 3000,[147] which increased to 4000 by 1337. [153] King Edward and his children often visited her as well. After her short period of detention she was allowed to go free and some years later was restored to her pre-1324 income of 4,500. The Pope tried to intervene to bring Edward and Isabella back together. [8] Philip built up centralised royal power in France, engaging in a sequence of conflicts to expand or consolidate French authority across the region, but remained chronically short of money throughout his reign. Edmund of Kent had sided with Isabella in 1326, but had since begun to question his decision and was edging back towards Edward II, his half-brother. Unlike e.g. [17] Unusual for the medieval period, contemporaries also commented on her high intelligence. By January 1322, Edward's army, reinforced by the Despensers returning from exile, had forced the surrender of the Mortimers, and by March Lancaster himself had been captured after the Battle of Boroughbridge; Lancaster was promptly executed, leaving Edward and the Despensers victorious.[53]. Isabella responded by deepening her alliance with Lancaster's enemy Henry de Beaumont and by taking up an increased role in government herself, including attending council meetings and acquiring increased lands. [129], By the end of 1328 the situation had descended into near civil war once again, with Lancaster mobilising his army against Isabella and Mortimer. There are, however, various historical interpretations of the events surrounding this basic sequence of events. [139] In the autumn, Mortimer was investigating another plot against him, when he challenged a young noble, William Montagu, during an interrogation. In the aftermath, the barons rose up, signing the Ordinances of 1311, which promised action against Gaveston and expelled Isabella and Henry de Beaumont from court. Princess Isabella of France was married at the age of 12 to Prince Edward II of England. She became increasingly interested in religion as she grew older, visiting a number of shrines. If so both Isabella and Mortimer were taking a huge risk in doing sofemale infidelity was a very serious offence in medieval Europe, as shown during the Tour de Nesle Affairboth Isabella's former French sisters-in-law had died by 1326 as a result of their imprisonment for exactly this offence,[79] and their alleged lovers had been brutally executed. Although their relationship has been romanticised to a considerable degree in much modern literature, it is far more likely to have been a pragmatic political alliance than a passionate love affair, at least in the beginning. Omissions? Similarly, accounts of Edward being killed with a red-hot poker have no strong contemporary sources to support them. As always with history, the story was not so simple. [109] Finally, Alison Weir, again drawing on the Fieschi Letter, has recently argued that Edward II escaped his captors, killing one in the process, and lived as a hermit for many years; in this interpretation, the body in Gloucester Cathedral is of Edward's dead captor. [32], Tensions mounted steadily over the decade. Father. She would be their eldest surviving child. Although Edward was now fearing an invasion, secrecy remained key, and Isabella convinced William to detain envoys from Edward. Isabellas first interventions in politics were conciliatory. [150] She remained interested in Arthurian legends and jewellery; in 1358 she appeared at the St George's Day celebrations at Windsor wearing a dress made of silk, silver, 300 rubies, 1800 pearls and a circlet of gold. [122] Although strategically successful and, historically at least, "a successful piece of policy making",[123] Isabella's Scottish policy was by no means popular and contributed to the general sense of discontent with the regime. They were John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, in August 1316; Eleanor of Woodstock, duchess of Guelders, in June 1318; and Joan of the Tower, queen of Scotland, in July 1321. Secondly, the Gascon situation, still unresolved from Edward II's reign, also posed an issue. During the height of the influence of the kings favourite Piers Gaveston and after Gavestons murder in 1312, she attempted to promote peace between Edward and the barons. In 1435, an end to the French civil war between Burgundians and Armagnacs allowed Charles to return to Paris the following year, and by 1453 the English had been driven out of their last strongholds in Normandy and Guyenne. [80] Isabella's motivation has been the subject of discussion by historians; some believe that there was a strong sexual attraction between the two, that they shared an interest in the Arthurian legends and that they both enjoyed fine art and high living. Isabella came to England at the age of 12 in 1308 after she had been married to Edward who was at that time 24 years old. [40] Given Edward's unpopularity, the rumours spread considerably before Deydras' eventual execution, and appear to have greatly upset Isabella. The retribution began immediately. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [22], When Isabella first arrived in England following her marriage, her husband was already in the midst of a relationship with Piers Gaveston, an "arrogant, ostentatious" soldier, with a "reckless and headstrong" personality that clearly appealed to Edward. Charles went on to refuse to return the lands in Aquitaine to Edward, resulting in a provisional agreement under which Edward resumed administration of the remaining English territories in early 1326 whilst France continued to occupy the rest. [51] Lord Badlesmere was away at the time, having left his wife Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere in charge of the castle. Isabella was notable in her lifetime for her diplomatic skills, intelligence, and beauty. [13] For his part, Charles replied that the, "queen has come of her own will and may freely return if she wishes. In 1330, aged 18, Edward III forcibly asserted his authority. Pinches, John Harvey; Pinches, Rosemary (1974), The Royal Heraldry of England, Heraldry Today, Slough, Buckinghamshire: Hollen Street Press, Cultural depictions of Isabella of France, Isabella of France (12951358), Britannia biographical series, Margaret of France, Queen of England and Hungary, Eleanor of England, Countess of Leicester, Joan, Countess of Hertford and Gloucester, Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk, Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Isabella_of_France&oldid=1147921961, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the ODNB, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Carpenter, David.
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